Powder party

Forget avalanche danger, helicopter crashes, plunging into bottomless crevasses or suffocating in tree-wells. The only thing worrying the women I was travelling with was when and where was the next toilet stop.

Hailing from Canada, the United States and Argentina, the 10 of us were enticed by a women-only powder party during a heli-skiing trip with Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH) in B.C.'s Selkirk Mountains.

In my lifelong pursuit of perfect snow, I envisioned sharing this ultimate skiing experience with likeminded, adventurous women. But, before going, female friends and family tempered my optimistic expectations by fixating on the perceived dangers rather than pleasures.

In fact, I was so insidiously affected by warning of avalanche risks, altitude sickness and vertigo, helicopter horrors, drastic weather changes and crevasse crises that even I, staunch in the belief that the Deerfoot is more dangerous than any extreme sport, began to doubt my invincibility.

Despite 33 years of powder skiing and backcountry forays, with one heli-skiing holiday already under my belt, I still had a sleepless night before leaving, forcing me to update my will and write goodbye notes to my kids just in case.

Contrary to jibes that "women only" might mean a feisty gang of youthful, Amazonian she-males, self-sufficient, stronger than men and scathingly impatient with my feeble female foibles, the group was intrinsically feminine.

Three of us were wearing pink on the bus ride; all were coiffed, sporting jewelry and makeup, sharing women's magazines and talking about boyfriends or husbands and kids.

Our outward appearances and conversations, though, belied the years of ski experience, expertise and courage which had led us all to converge on the Adamants --one of CMH's remote, but luxurious powder havens.

Dubbed "Chicks in Choppers" by our gregarious group host, Ellen Slaughter, we were somewhat of an anomaly in the hitherto male-dominated world of heli-skiing. But we fit the profile of today's average adventure traveller, identified by the 2006 Adventure Travel Trade Association survey as a "45-year-old woman."

With most of us in our 40s and 50s, we were proof of the new demographic trend prompting CMH to offer Women Only heli-skiing holidays over the past two years.

Chanting my mantra, "There's nothing to fear but fear itself," I eagerly anticipated the first run to dispel anxieties and remind myself of the exquisite lightness of gliding though virgin glacier powder fields. The breathless exhilaration, rewarded by immaculate tracks delineating 100 continuous turns, enabled us to suspend all qualms.

With only the tiniest hint of surprise in his voice, our guide, Paul appreciatively commented, "Well, you can all ski."

Laughter was an effective antidote to irrational terrors and self-doubt throughout the trip. Rude jokes and raunchy anecdotes proliferated, filling waiting times and one sticky situation when diminishing visibility nearly prevented the helicopter from retrieving us.

The powder skiing was a breeze for most of us, especially with the ultra-wide skis, provide by CMH. Even the glades had accommodating gaps so "following the white ribbon" was relatively easy. In fact, the hardest task was putting skis on quickly at the landing pads in metres of frothy snow.

Despite a range of ability and fitness levels, there wasn't much gung-ho pressure to ski fast and furious. There was a mutual desire to stop for photos, the "washroom," and scenery appreciation. Yet, I still managed to clock up a respectable 28,500 vertical metres over the four and a half days.

Soaking in the scenic spa was an apres-ski luxury, enabling us to mingle with the other groups sharing the rustic but five-star lodge. The resident masseuse was booked solid after the first day's skiing, a second having to be summoned from Revelstoke to keep up with female demand.

For inclement weather, the lodge is equipped with cross-country skis, snow shoes, a climbing wall, a table tennis table, gym, games and library. But, with near perfect flying conditions, we didn't need any distractions from our skiing and camaraderie beyond obligatory retail therapy in the exclusive ski shop. What woman can resist an end-of-season bargain?

Female heli-skiing guides are as rare as participants, but we were lucky enough to have Alison Andrews, from Canmore, leading our girlie gang for two days.

From meticulous avalanche transceiver training and helicopter safety demonstrations to savvy route-picking and smooth flights, I trusted our guides and pilot implicitly. Landing safely on precarious promontories and peaks, Doug proved his ability to stop on a dime. Even through swirling fog, the helicopter rides were much less scary than Callaway Park's roller-coaster.

Was it death-defying in retrospect? Not this time; we were lucky enough only to suffer one rotator cuff injury in our gutsy group.

With motives ranging from fulfilling a long-term dream, to ticking it off a must-do list, I wondered if my heli-ski mates would go again. Universally yes, and some may even bring hubby next time -- if he gets into shape.

If you wear glasses, take them off. Dunk them in a puddle, shake ‘n’ bake them with some grit from the shoulder of the road, scrape away what you can with your glove, and then put them back on. That’s the view too many people believe is good enough to have through the windshield of their car.

There are things you could be doing to make your property less prone to crime. That's one of the messages that will be pushed at a town hall meeting on Tuesday about preventing crime in Windsor's west end.

Contests Etc.

ENTER TODAY and you could win two tickets to the 25th anniversary celebration of the Business Excellence Awards. This milestone event filled with pride, reflection and celebration is guaranteed to be a night to remember.

If you’re tired of stacking books on the floor or stuffing them in to an already crowded book shelf, well it’s time to clean up. Raise-a-Reader is looking for new and gently used books for the annual RAR Book Sale.